ares as a sun-god, and solar symbols on the coins of macedon and thrace / [percy gardner]

8/12/2019 Ares as a sun-god, and solar symbols on the coins of Macedon and Thrace / [Percy Gardner]

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IV.

ABES AS A SUN-GOD AND SOLAR SYMBOLS ON THECOINS OF MACEDON AND THRACE.

The opinions recently ropounded y Mr. Thomas as tothe origin nd meaning f the symbols alled the triquetraand svastika re so similar o those already set forth byDr. L. Mller that it is hard to refuse assent to theverdict t which the two authorities have independently

arrived. There are indeed points n the papers both ofDr. Mller and Mr. Thomas with which we are by nomeans bound to agree because we accept their theory nits general form.

But my present purpose s not to criticize but to pro-duce a somewhat ndependent hain of evidence as tosolar symbols. The previous writers have by no meansexhausted he field lthough their excursions n it havebeen wide and various. My plan is quite dissimilar otheirs. I intend o confine myself trictly onumismaticsand even to the numismatics f a particular istrict. Theindications of solar worship on coins of Macedn andThrace have believe escaped both M. Mller and Mr.Thomas; it would therefore ppear that they are notobvious nd that shall be doing good service n settingthem forth.

I must begin with a few words as to the character ofVOL.XX.N.S. H



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50 NUMISMATICHRONICLE.

the original sun-god of the Thracians and Macedonians,who was known o the Greeks s Ares. The later Greeks,and even to some extent Homer, thought of Ares as abarbarian, a fierce over of strife nd battle, nsatiablewith carnage and a rejoicer in sieges and sacks. They

regardedhim as the

representativef the fierce hracians

of later times, and even of their Scythian neighbours.But there was an earlier time, s Professor urtius haswell pointed out, when Thrace and the Thracians had amilder and less savage reputation. And Welcker1 hasproved hat the national deity of Thrace, Ares, was in theorigin less a god of war than the god of the sun. Hewas the head of the Thracian Pantheon, nd the consortof the goddessBendis or of the other great foreign eity

of the Hellenic Olympus, he SidonianAphrodite.It is notable how many of the male deities of thesemi-Hellenic races of Europe and Asia Minor were ofthe solar class. The Zeus of Ciliciawas solar, so was theZeus of Laodicea in Phrygia. So was also the ZeusStratios r Labrandeus, he national deity of Caria, who,like the Thracian Ares, s represented s armed and aspre-eminently god of battle. A solar character alsobelongs to the Zeus of Heliopolis in Syria and to theAsiatic deity adopted by the Greeks of Rhodes, and tothe Lycian god whomthe Greeks called Apollo.

We find ven in Greece traces of an early worship fAres as god of sun and sky, rival of Zeus and Apollo.Thus at Elis Ares was perhaps an older inhabitant thanZeus,who even adopted from im the epithet A o;. InBoeotia the worship f Apollowas introduced t no earlyperiod his place had been previously occupiedby Ares,

1 Gr. Gtterlehre, . pp. 413 424.



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ARESASA SUN-GOD,NDSOLAR YMBOLS. 51

two of whose sons led to Troy the men of Aspledonand Orchomenus, nd whose daughter Harmonia becamethe wife of Cadmus. Even at Athens we find a hillcalled the Areiopagus and whatever explanation f thatname may be given by late writers, t remains almostcertain hat it is a survival from time when Ares wasworshipped s a god of sun and weather n the hill-topsof Attica. The wolf was in Greece the symbol lternatelyof the Lycian Apolloand of Ares.

At Argos Ares, who was called the son of the ArgiveHera, was superseded in pre-historic imes by Apollo,who appropriated is emblem, he wolf. In other partsof Greecethe same change took place, until Ares, the godof the country f Orpheus, ame to be regarded s entirely

averse to culture and an enemy to the greater gods ofthe Hellenic Pantheon.In Thrace, however, t would appear that Ares re-

tained both his lofty osition and his character of sun-god. He was regarded s the father f the rivers Hebrusand Strymon nd the heroes Sithon and Olynth s. TheMacedonian2 ings, when they wishedfor political reasonsto be considered s Hellenes, called their sun-god Apolloor Herakles. The head of Herakles occurs often n themoney of Archelaus, Perdiccas III., and other princes.On the coins of other kings we frequently ind youngmale head bound with a taenia, which may, perhaps, bethat of Apollo,although n cases when, s on the coins ofAmyntas I. and the city of Scione (Pl. IV. No. 10), ayoung male head appears on one face of the coin and a

2Macednwasas much hehome f Ares s Thrace, s maybe udged rom heepitaph f Demosthenes

Enrep crrjv/jL-qvui, rjjjicrOevt,*XS>Qvttot v rpev prs a/ceStoy.



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lielmet n the other, we are tempted oprefer he attri-bution to Ares. The money of Philippi, a city foundedby Philip II. in the neighbourhood f the Thraciangold-mines, ears on oneside the head of Herakles, n theother the Delphic tripod, hus combining the attributesof the two Greek

sun-gods.But in the head on the

plenti-ful gold staters f Philip II., which have a chariot n thereverse, certainly ncline to see a representation f Ares.This head has sometimes een taken for that of Apollo,sometimes or that of Herakles, and in fact it is in typemidway between the two. But its true character willappear on confronting t with the Ares of the coins of theMamertini, he children of Mamers or Ares. The in-scription n their coins is APEOZ, and the head of the

deity PI. IY. No. 3) so nearly resembles n all detailsthe head on the coinsof Philip (PI. IY. Nos. 1, 2) as toleave small doubt of the Mamertine coins being copiedfrom he Macedonian. It shouldbe observed hat while thegold money f Alexander circulated argely n Asia, thatof Philip was current n all parts of the West during thethird century .c. We may imagine that it was suffi-ciently amiliar o the plundering Mamertine.

The Mamertine head bears a laurel wreath, nd showsother ignsof ssimilation o Apollo. But the egendprovesbeyond doubt hat t was ntended orAres, nd it appearsto me that this evidence is sufficient o show the head onPhilip's coin to belong alsoto Ares. In addition we mayremark hat the thick neck and short clustering hair ofthe deity on both classes of coins set it quite apart fromheads of Apollo,such as that on the coins of the Mace-donian Chalcis. Another slight corroboration f thisview in the specimen of the Mamertine oinage selectedfor my plate is to be found n the small Macedonian hel-



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ARESAS A SDN-GOD,ND SOLARYMBOLS. 53

met nserted s a symbolbehind the head of Ares. Thismay serve to give a clue to the real character f the deitywith whom t is associated. A head of different haracter,which may not improbably be meant for that of Ares,occurson the silver coinsof Chalcedon, n the obverse ofa

piecewhich has on the reverse a radiate

wheel,which

is clearly, s we shall presently ee, a solar type. Thishead is bare and bearded Pl. IV. No. 18), as is the headof Ares on early vases. Chalcedon, t is true, s not aThracian city, being situate on the other side of thestraits, n Bithynia. But it was yet subject to Thracianinfluence, being, indeed, a mere dependency of theThracian Byzantium, from the coinage of which cityalmost ll the Chalcedonian ypes re borrowed.

It is easy to understand why Alexander did not con-tinue the types f his father's old coins. Deeply steepedas he was in the Iliad, he could never have endured olet Ares, he patron of Troy, ppear as his guardian deityIn the place of the destroying venger was substitutedthe truly Greek Pallas, the type of ordered war andscientific eneralship.

Let us now turn to the coins of Macedn,to see whatsymbols of Ares and of the sun occur on them, andwhether heseare the same or different.

No one can have glanced even rapidly at the Mace-donian coins without remarking he frequent ecurrenceof a peculiar helmet and a peculiar shield,both of whichare specially haracterized s Macedonian. If we look atthe matter n the light of probability, e shall see thatthese emblems re very well fitted o a war-god ike Ares,who s seldom nywhere epresented s unarmed. In oneof the Homeric

hymns No. 7)Ares is

specially pokenof

as xp-vcreowrjXrj^,r golden-helmeted, nd as pa(nn%1r



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shield-bearing. Possibly to the sun-god a helmet maynot seem very appropriate, lthough to a primitive acethe rising or setting un might well seem

Agolden elmet hat hines ar ff ikeflame.

But the round shield s still more evidently n appro-priate emblem f the sun, as Scott4may witness

With isk ikebattle-target ed,He rushes o his burning ed.

It is thus not wonderful hat in many countries he sun-god has been thought f as armed. The bow was moreespecially appropriated ohim n Greece but the Carianbattle-axe nd the Thracian shield are equally suitable.

However, t is time to turn from mere probabilities ofacts, and trace the actual history of the Macedonianshield and helmet. The shield occursfirst n some smallpiecesof electrum, with ncusereverse Plate IY. No. 5) ;next as a symbol n the coins of Philip and Alexander,but in this case on so small a scale that its details arenot to be made out. It occurs as a type on the coinsissued by Eupolemus, General of Cassander, and afterthat becomes ommon. The border f the shield consistsof a series of crescents, ach of which enclosesa star ora pellet. The crescent nd star on ancient oins stand, sMr. Thomas rightly emarks, or sun and moon. In themidst re a series of symbols or devices. In some casesthese belong to the king who struck the coin thus wefind n pieces ssuedby Antigonus I., Demetrius I., andPyrrhus the monograms of those kings and on piecesissued by Antiochus . of Syria his arms, he elephant.

3Macaulay, Battle f the LakeBegillus.4 Rokeby,' anto i.



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ARESASA SUN-G0D,NDSOLAR YMBOLS. 55

In somecasesthe symbol may refer o the arms of themint- ity, for we find n this position, n coins bearingthe name of no king, the club, the caduceus, he torch,and other well-knownMacedonianmint-marks. ut thereare other symbols which cannot be so explained. The

eight-rayedtar marks the

coinageof Demetrius I. His

successors substitute n the midst of the shield a wheellike device. The form ^ (PI. IY. No. 6) occurson themoney of Philip Y. and Perseus, as well as on tetra-drachms of Macedonia Prima and Amphaxitis, nd(Pl. IY. Nos. 7, 8) on the late coins of the Bottiaeans ofEmathia as well as @ (Pl. IV. No. 9).

These three devicesand the star cannot in these casessignify mint. In the collection f the British Museum,

which s extensive, he star s the only device appearingon the shield of the coins of Demetrius, xcept when hismonogram akes ts place. So far as I am aware, none ofthe shield-coins of Philip and Perseus have any othersymbol besidesthe wheel- attern n some form and thehead of Perseus, which is introduced n allusion to theking's name, and no symbol xcept this pattern ppearson any of the shield-coins ssued by the Bottiaeans ofEmathia. It is clear, then, that both star and wheelpattern elong to the shield,not to the mint which ssuedthe coins. And considering hat the whole Macedonianshield s of astronomical attern, nd blongs specially oa deity who is worshipped as the sun, it seems veryreasonable o supposethat n all these devicesthe nten-tion s to give a representation f the sun.

Let us next briefly nvestigate the history f the hel-met of Ares on coins of Macedn and Thrace. This isa rarer

ymbolhan the shield, but

yetnot uncommon.

It occurs not unfrequently n the coins of the early



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Macedoniankings. It occurs also at the city of Byzan-tium, situated close to that Salmydessus which was,according o Sophocles,5he specialseat of Ares. And inthree nstances n particular t seems to recur with dis-tinct olar reference on the coins of Macedn,which bearon the reverse shield PI. IY. No. 12) ; on the coinsofMesembria,which have on the reverse radiate wheel,ofwhich shall have presently o speak (Pl. IV. No. 19) ;and on the coins of Orthagoria PI. IY. No. 11). It isin the last case that the solar reference s clearest. Thehelmet t Orthagoria s surmounted y a star raised on acone,which is a recognised mage or symbol f the sun,and recurs with that meaning on the money f Uranopolis(Pl. IV. No. 15). It appears to me that these facts bear

out sufficiently he theory to which we were first ed bythe antecedent robabilities f the case.If still further videncebe required t is forthcoming.

On turning to the imperial coins of Macedn,we find(PI. IY. No. 4) a figure clad as a warrior wearing ahelmet nd holding a wreath and sword. In the field,detached as a symbol, is a shield. This figure hasusually been described as a Roman emperor 6 but em-perors do not appear helmeted on Greek coins,nor doesthe round shield seem a likely emblem for a Romangeneral. I prefer o see in this figure full-length e-presentation f the national deity Ares in his ordinarydress and holding the wreath with which he is to rewarda victorious hero. In Roman times Ares identified ithMars wouldnaturally win back the honour he had lost inthe days when Pallas waspredominant n Greece.

But helmet nd shield are not the only symbols f the5

Antigone, 70.6 Cat. Coins,Macedn, . 27. Mionnet, . v



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ARES AS ASUN-GOD,NDSOLAR YMBOLS. 57

Thracian sun-god. The rose is another. In old timesthe mountain ranges of Haemus and Pangaeum, whichCallimachusmentions s speciallybelonging oAres,werealready celebrated for heir roses,which are now largelygrown in the same region for purposes of trade. Therose is

frequently epresentedn the coins of the Pan-

gaean district, nd speciallydistinguishes he money ofTraelium n Macedn(Pl. IV. No. 14). But there is nomore obvious ymbol f the sun than the round red rose.And that the ancients hought hus is sufficiently rovedby the nstance f Rhodes, n which sland the rose s the

^regular emblem f Helios. On later coins of Rhodes theflower s arranged into the pattern f a wheel Pl. IY.No. 20), still with reference o the revolving red disc of

the sun. Sometimes t Rhodes the rose s even radiate.It has been pointed out, both by Dr. Mller and Mr.Thomas, hat the wheel s frequently solar symbol. Itis so both as m itself an image of the revolving sun,and as a sign or epitome f the chariot n which Helioswas supposed to travel through the sky. I will notinsist upon this rendering n the case of the Macedoniancoins,because when the wheel occursupon them t seemsclearly to be the wheel of the chariot which is so usual

on early Macedoniancoins, such as those of the Bisaltae,and which does not appear to be a solar chariot, ut tobe a clumsy and matter-of-fact onveyance peciallybe-longing to the country. It is indeed often drawn byoxen instead of horses. But the wheel when it takescertain forms does seem more closely connected withthe sun. Of the wheel which s made up of crescentshave already poken. Another form sual on Macedoniancoins is Q. This form may very well be solar. Itappears on coins of Acanthus (PI. IY. No. 13) as an

VOL.XX.N.S. i



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alternative or he svastika. It is also held in the hand ofa running winged figure who may be a form f the god ofthe sun, and who appears on a coin brought to Mr.Borrell t Salnica.7

There are many other figures nd symbols on Mace-donian coinswhich may well be solar. Among thesemay mention the lion, especially when he is attackingthe bull, as on the coins of Acanthus the winged horse,who may be different rom he Corinthian Pegasus ; andthe wolf,who appears not seldom on the money f theMacedoniankings. All these I pass by, partly n orderto keep my paper within reasonable limits, nd partlybecause there is not much to say with regard to theseanimals which has not been said before. I alsopass by

the specially Apolline types, uch as the lyre of Chalci-dice, and the torch which makes its appearance as asymbol f Apolloon the money f Amphipolis.

There s, however, ne set of Macedonian coins whichclaims a special attention, ven though t belong to a lateand allegorizing ge.

One of the most remarkable ets of coins in the wholeGreek series s that issued by Uranopolis. This city wasfounded y a man notably eccentric, Alexarchus, brother

of Cassander,King of Macedn, and the coinage itselfseems to bear the same stamp of eccentricity.8 On it wefind varied representations f all the heavenly bodies.The sun appears under several forms 1) as a disc orglobe surrounded y rays (PL IY. No. 15) ; (2) as a star

7 Cat. Greek Coins,Macedn, . 186. See also CanonGreenwell's emarks, upra p. 4, Pl. I. No. 8.8See Cat. Gr. Coins,Macedn, p.xxxii.138,sq. Also,Das Knigl.Mnzkabinet, . Ill, Zeitschr. rNumism.

vol.v. pl. i. 2.



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ARESAS A SUN-GOD,NDSOLARYMBOLS. 59

of eight rays Pi. IV. Nos.16, 17) ; (3) as a star placedonthe top of a cone (Pl. IV. No. 15). The rayed disc isthe equivalent like of the shield and of the rayed wheel,both of which we find at an earlier period. And withthe cone supporting the star we may compare theomphaloson which

Apollofrequentlyits. Kuhn attri-

butes to this omphalos solar reference, nd there is nodoubt that the conical stone at Heliopolis symbolized hesun. The moonon the coins of Uranopolis is uniformlyrepresented y a crescent Pl. IY. No. 17). The fiveplanets also appear under the guise of eight-rayed tars.9In addition there is a globe, on which Urania sits, andwhich may stand for he world tself.

The goddess worshipped most at Uranopolis was

Aphrodite Urania, to whom the town gave a peculiarcharacter. But it is likely that the armed Sidoniandeity Astarte, who was her original, had long had afooting n Macedn as consort f the Thracian Ares.

Turning to the coins of Thrace, we find n many citiestraces of solarworship of which we may rapidly dispose.Perhaps the most interesting ity under this aspect isMesembria, city whose name has been considered ofdoubtful erivation. But Mesembria s it stands s simplythe Greek word for noon or mid-day (^crrjfipLa),ndthere can be little doubt that the Greek inhabitantswouldsuppose heir ity to be the place of noon. Amongthe coins of Mesembria he following ccur 10

Obv. Crested elmet een n front.Rev ME A between he four pokes f a wheel, ur-

rounded yconvergingines r rays.M. Wt. 19*4grs. PI. IY. No. 19.

9Ona coin tBerlin,

K.Mnzkabinet, .

111.10Nos.2 and 4, Cat. Gr. Coins,Thrace.



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Obv. Similar.Rev. MEZ'fv Similar.

M. Wt. 4*8 grs.

Copper oins ccur with he ame ypes.

After what is above said, it will, imagine, be easilyconceded hat the helmet on the obverse of these piecesis the type of the Thracian Ares, and the wheel on thereverse with its border of rays is meant for the sunshining at noon. The svastika emblem occurs veryopportunely o confirm he theory. Strabo says thatMesembria was a colony of the Megarians. So it isinteresting ofind as reverse types at their mother-citythe figures and on two coins weighing respectively50*4and 23 grains, which have on the obverse the headof Apollo. I have little doubt that these also are solaremblems that the Apollo of Megara was solar, and thatthe Megarian colonists t Masembria dentified im withthe Ares whomthey found n Thrace n possession f thecountry.

Turning the pages of the catalogue of Thracian coins,one finds t various other ities traces of sun- and moon-

worship.The crescent and star

(sunand

moon)are

usual types t Byzantium, s is the Macedonian helmeton imperial oins. Crescentswith stars, ometimes hreeor four, occur also on imperial coins of Marcianopolis,Pautalia, and Philippopolis. Whether in this case thestars re really stars, r merely signify spects or periodsof the sun, seems doubtful. Finally, at Samothrace,11globeor shield adorned with a star occurs on late coinsbehind the head of Pallas.

11 Cat.Thrace, . 215.



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ARESAS A SUN-GOD,ND SOLARYMBOLS. 61

As sun-worship was the most, widely diffused ultamong the Aryan nations, t is not wonderful hat onecannot ook for ndications of it in Greek coins withoutfinding hem n every direction. I am greatly temptedto go on to the coins of Lycia, Rhodes,and Caria, butfor he

present stop resolutelyhort on the frontiers f

Macedn.Percy Gardner.



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SUN SYMBOLS. .CHAL.DN trojan: ND AN

A um, hr0-n S Vo T. lH



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SUN SYMBOLS n. GREEK COINS.

Num. Cron.NS. VoUOLBL HI.



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SOLAR SYMBOLS ON COINS OF THRACE AND MACEDON.

Nkrru Aron. N.tS.VoL.XX.PL V

ares as a sun-god, and solar symbols on the coins of macedon and thrace / [percy gardner]

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